Joseph a



J. A STOGKEN.

- REFRIGERATOR.

(No Mcdel.)

Patented Aug. 4, 1885.

No. 323,463. F

'Jlltmlll.

'llnirnn STATES Parana @rrrba JOSEPH A. STOGKES, OF GOSHEN, NE\V YORK.

REFRIGERATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 323,463, dated August4, 1885.

Application filed March 24, 1885. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, J osnrn A. STOOKEN, of Goshen, in the county ofOrange and State of Sew York, have invented certain Improvements inRefrigerators; and I do hereby declare that the following is afull andexact description thereof, reference being bad to the accompanyingdrawings, making part of this specification.

Figure l is a front view of my improved refrigerator; Fig. 2, a centralvertical section of the same; Fig. 3, a horizontal section of the sameinaplane indicated by the line a; a Fig. 1; a, a side view of the icechamber or tray; Fig. 5, a side view of the drip-pipe leading from theice-chamber, with shelves mount ed thereon.

Like letters designate corresponding parts in all the figures.

In the drawings, A represents the body of the refrigerator; B, the coverof the same; 0, the base; I), the ice tray or receptacle; E, thewaste-pipe for drawing water from the ice tray or receptacle, and G Gshelves on which the provisions are placed.

In the construction of the bodyA of the refrigerator, the walls arecomposed of three separate walls or thicknesses, a b c, with twoair-spaces between them, thereby obviating the use of a filling of anon-conducting material between the walls, which would add much to theweight of the refrigerator, and would gather moisture, tending to causedecay of the same.

In order to form the middle thickness or partition, I), of the wall andkeep it at the proper distance from the inner and outer walls, Igradually contract the width or diameter of the said middle partition atthe upper and lower ends or edges sufficient to have thesaid upper andlower edges just fit around the inner wall, 0, and thus be held in theproper position, as shown in Fig. 2, thus keeping all theintermediatcparts of the partition at the desired and uniform distance, both fromthe inner wall and the outer wall, which is secured to the inner wall atthe upper and lower ends by connecting heads or flanges in any ordinarymanner. The cover 13 is also made of triple walls or. thicknesses, d ef,at suitable and regular distances apart, for a similar purpose. It ispreferably made highest at the center and gradually inclined therefromto the outer edges. I provide it with an adjustable ventilator, formedof atubular aperture, g, through the entire thickness, and a tube, It,fitting in the aperture and having perforations in its sides, while itis closed at the top, so that by raising or lowering it in the aperturemore or fewer of its side perforations will be above the cover, therebyincreasing or diminishing the ventilating capacity thereof.

To adjust the tube accurately and with exactness up and down, a screw,17, is secured to the top of the tube or a cross-bar thereon, andscrewing into a nut, j, fitting as a bar across the lower end or mouthof the ventilating-aperture g, the tube h being for this purpose maderound or cylindrical.

The bottom of the body or main part of the refrigerator is also composedof three thicknesses, 751m, with air-spaces between them, the lower andmiddle thicknesses being preferably somewhat inclined from the outeredges to the center, while the upper thickness is flat or plane, forholding level whatever may be placed thereon.

The inclined middle and lower walls serve to drain to the-centerwhatever moisture may ever collect between both the body and bottomwalls of the refrigerator.

The base 0 of the refrigerator is, for greater convenience in making,transporting, and cleaning the refrigerator, made separate from thebody, and is provided, or mayproperlybe provided, with casters n n, formoving the refrigerator about with facility. It has asufiicient interiorspace to hold a drip pan or vessel, I, which may be made in the form ofa drawer, to be readily inserted and withdrawn through one side of thebase, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The door J of the refrigerator is likewise made with three thicknesses,with airspaces between, for similar purposes to the same construction ofthe other parts of the refrigerator above described. It should have aremovable lock, 0, inserted in a recess of the door, and bolted to oneof the plates thereof.

The refrigerator is best made of cylindrical form, and I have adoptedthat form as one most compact, most simple of construction,

: p, thereon fits over and rests upon a bead or equivalent projection,q, on the interior surface of the refrigerator-body, the tray-supportbeing thus provided in a very simple, effectual, and cheap manner. Belowthis supportingedge of the ice-tray an annular space is left between thetray and refrigerator-body for the circulation of air into and out ofthe ice tray or receptacle. There are perforations r 1' through thesides of the receptacle, near its upper edge, for allowing the warmedair to enter the tray from the refrigerator below, and otherperforations, s 8, through the sides of the tray, near the lower edge orend thereof, for the cooled air in the tray to pass out and descend intothe refrigerator below, thus keeping up a cooling circulation in theprovisionchamber. The upper and lower perforations should alternate inposition, as shownthat is, neither set of perforations extend the wholecircumference of the ice-tray, but only about half-way, and the lowerset or sets are under the spaces between the upper set or sets, so thatthe downward flow of the cold-air currents into the provision-chamber isnot interrupted or interfered with by the upward flow of warmed air.

All the parts of the refrigerator above described may properly be madeof sheet metal say sheet-zinc or galvanized sheet-iron, or any othersuitable material; but I add to the bottom of the ice-tray a thickness,25, of wood or other slow heat-conducting material, in order to protectthe ice in the tray from the melting action of the comparatively-warmedair of the provision-chamber below. This wooden bottom may be simplyattached to the single metallic bottom of the tray; but it is best tomake a double sheet-metal bottom and interpose the wooden or equivalentslow heat-conducting bottom or thickness t between the two sheet-metalthicknesses u v, as shown in Fig. 2.

The water produced in the ice-tray by the melting of the ice isdischarged through a tube or passage, w, in the center of the bottom ofthe tray, the bottom being somewhat inclined from the outer edge to thecenter, to facilitate the flow of the water to the discharge-passage.This discharge-tube 20 projects downward a little below the bottom ofupon it.

of the refrigerator-body. The cup shape of the tube y at the topservesalso to drain off any water of condensation which may gather on theinterior surface of the refrigerator body and shaft. The tube does notfit close in the openings through the middle and lower thicknesses, Zk,of the bottom, so that space will there be afforded for discharging anywater of condensation which may gather in the wall-spaces of therefrigerator body and bottom, and the lower thickness, 70, has a shortdownwardly projecting tube, z, continued from its drainageopening.somewhat larger in diameter than the drain-pipe tube 1, in order toafford room for the water-discharge in the tube 2 around the tube 3 Bothof the said tubes are surrounded at their lower ends by a sealing-trap,K, located in the base of the refrigerator. The waste-pipe E is alsoused for mounting the provisionshelves G G upon, and the pipe is madecapable of revolving, and the shelves are made circular, orsubstantially so, as well as the interior of the refrigerator-body, sothat the. shelves may be allowed to revolve and yet have the fullcapacity afforded by the size of the refrigerator.

I have a novel and improved construction of the shelves G G, as follows:Each shelf is, in a general way, made like a carriage-wheelthat is, itis made with a hub, a, spokes b b, and rim 0, put together like anordinary carriage-wheel. The eye or aperture of the hub fits snuglyaround the waste-pipe E, for a spindle or shaft, and the hub being aslong as required gives an extended bearing or support, so that the shelfis very strong, and will support any desiredweight on either side alone.The spokes b b are sufficient in number to form a grate as close asdesired for supporting articles The analogy of the construction to thatof a carriage-wheel is preferably carried out still further by makingthe shelf somewhat dishing, as shown in Figs. 2 and 5, it being concaveon the upper side, to give additional strength to its supporting-power,the purpose fulfilled, therefore, being different from that sought inthe construction of a carriage-wheel. I also utilize this constructionof the shelves to furnish a novel and improved means of fastening theshelves at different heights on the pipe E, as shown in Figs. 2 and 5.One of the spokes (marked L 12') extends outward through the rim 0 andprojects somewhat beyond it, terminating with a knob or handle, (1. Theinner end of this spoke is screwthreaded and turns in a screw-threadedaperture in the hub, as shown by the vertical section in Fig. 2; andsince the inner end bears against the pipe, the spoke serves to clampthe shelf to the pipe, and by loosening the screw the shelf may beraised or lowered and then secured in position by tightening the screw.

The various parts of the refrigerator are or may be provided withsuitable handles, as shown, or otherwise.

I claim as my invention- 1. A refrigerator constructed with three wallsor thicknesses, with separate air-spaces between them, the middlethickness being narrowed at its upper and lower ends or edges to fit theinner wall, and thereby keep the main part of the said walls at therequired distance apart, substantially as herein specified.

2. An ioe-tray, D, made of metal and provided with an additional bottomthickness, of wood or equivalent slow heat-conducting material,substantially as. herein set forth.

3. The separate waste-pipe E, on which the provision-shelves aresupported, mounted between the ice-tray and bottom of the refrigerator,and adapted to be turned around the short central waste-tube of theice-tray as a journal at the top, and in an annular or grooved step atthe bottom around the bottom waste-tube, substantially as set forth.

4. A provision-shelf, G, formed of a hub, spokes, and rim, the eye ofthe hub fitting around the waste-pipe shaft E, substantially as hereinspecified.

5. A provision -shelf formed of a hub, spokes, and rim, and having aspoke or rod screw-threaded in the hub, whereby the shelf is clamped tothe shaft and adapted to be adjusted in height, as herein set forth.

JOSEPH A. STOOKEN.

Witnesses:

H. J. HAIGHT, G. S. NEWELL.

